Baby Boomers urged to get Hepatitis C Test

In the United States, the generation known as baby boomers (born between 1945 and 1965) have been urged to get a Hepatitis C blood test.  It is thought that less than a quarter of this generation have ever tested for the Hepatitis C virus.

Hepatitis C affects the liver and can be passed on by unprotected sexual intercourse, sharing needles and razors and other bodily fluids that meet each other.  The disease is often passed on by young adults, with over 17,000 new infections in the USA every year, with the number of people dying from  Hepatitis C virus related conditions now doubling every year.  The Hepatitis C virus (first identified in 1989) can take several years to cause damage to the liver with many carriers not aware they have the virus or associating their former risky behaviour with their current health.  To see more on this story click here.

Better2Know can test for Hepatitis C with a simple blood test at all of our STD testing clinics across the UK.  The results are available within one day of the sample being received in the laboratory.